Lasagne for tea - maybe!

30^th April 2014

Y – That perfect letter.  The wishbone, fork in the road, empty wineglass.  The question we ask over and over.

Good day had yesterday, day 2 of my 8 week challenge, I like the idea of a countdown, especially after it worked so well with my 21 day stop drinking challenge – it’s good to have that time scale set.

Yesterday I easily managed my veggies with every meal, I even threw in a banana as a snack!  Breakfast was egg and mushrooms on toast, then I made the Greek pork patties from the Filling & Healthy cookbook for dinner, we had them with couscous filled with mixed veggies (mushrooms, peppers, soya beans, sweetcorn, spring onions) then for tea I used the leftovers chopped up in baked beans as they count as one of your 5 a day and I had that on toast.

I do need to shop for some different veggies though, get a bit of variety going on I think, might nip in Asda today if I remember when I’ve finished my meeting.  Just in case you were interested a portion is considered 80g so although I had 6 different veggies yesterday I don’t think I had anywhere near 80g of some of them so I need to work on that for sure.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/5ADAY/Pages/Portionsizes.aspx there’s some more info on this page, including a wall poster to use as a tick sheet for your 5 a day, great way to encourage kids to eat different fruit and veggies.

Yeah I definitely need to go and get some fruit and veggies, I wasn’t paying attention at all when I did my shopping this week, which proves I need to get back to writing a list, I always spend more when I don’t write the list.   

Now sometimes when I start my blog in a morning I have no idea what I’m going to say, then as I type it just happens and I’ve just realised a great way to ensure I get my 5 a day minimum is to cook more vegetarian meals – doh!  So here’s your first, I haven’t tried it yet but maybe that’ll be the first of many veggie meals I start looking at;

Butternut squash and Spinach Lasagne.
Total 50pp so at 4 servings its 13pp per portion at 6 servings it’s 8pp per portion

On Filling & Healthy, it would be serves 4 at 4pp from weeklies and use your daily oil allowance or serves 6 at 2pp from weeklies and use your daily oil allowance

1 butternut squash - peeled and cubed
1 large onion - finely diced
2 courgettes  - cubed
1/2 head of celery - finely chopped
4 medium mushrooms - chopped.
1 bag of spinach - add in at the end - it only needs wilting.
1 pack of passata
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic - crushed
sprinkle of basil, oregano and pepper.
1 tbs oil (4pp)
1 pack of Asda 250g wholemeal lasagne sheets (23pp)

1. Chop and fry the vegetables until soft
2. Add tomatoes and passata
3. Simmer for 20-30 minutes.

Cheese Sauce

1 litre of skimmed milk (9pp)
4 oz finely grated half fat mature cheddar (8pp)
2 tbs of cornflour (4pp)
1 tbs low fat spread (2pp)

Mix together in a large jug and microwave in three minute blasts, whisk each time and return for another three minutes until cheese sauce. Bake in a medium oven for 45 minutes.

Yes this week I shall be writing a shopping list and making a plan, after all a goal without a plan is merely a wish!

Have a great day BeYOUtiful, Eat Gorgeous and be Healthy & Happy. xx

Ask yourself - is it worth it?

29^th April 2014

The wise know their limitations, the foolish do not.  Benjamin Hoff

Well I’ve never been so glad to start my monthlies and it’s not because I was worried about being pregnant!  Nope it was because I’ve been experimenting whether not drinking alcohol has affected my hormones and moods on my monthly cycle and I can confirm it most certainly appears that way.  The only symptoms I’ve had this month were minimal and even the increased appetite beforehand wasn’t as bad as it normally is!  So that’s has re-affirmed my decision to not purchase any of the red stuff for a good while, never say never but the way I feel this month compared to previous months, there ain’t nothing that tastes better than that feeling!  I’ve never bought into the ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ philosophy but there really is nothing that tastes better than feeling healthy and happy and that is how I feel right now.  I also believe that weight loss becomes a side effect of the healthy and happy state, so I have no doubt that I am going to get these last few pounds off that have thwarted me for the last 18 months, yes I have been playing the yo-yo game with the same half stone for that long and it all started when my monthly cycle changed and my moods started being affected before then I’ve never had problems, I now believe that adding alcohol to the equation has magnified the systems and I’m not willing to feel tired, grumpy, moody, emotional anymore than I have to!  Why would I want to inflict that unpleasantness on myself for a few moments of a nice tasting red wine – I wouldn’t, so from now on I won’t.

You can use the same thought pattern with food if you think about it, if you aren’t happy with the way you look, if you feel any negative emotions because of your physical size or any discomfort, or health issues such as heartburn, indigestion, or worse then why continue to overeat and make yourself ill, when eating healthy and happy could make such a difference? 

I do appreciate it’s not that simple – I really do, but just for a moment pretend it is.  Just for a moment believe in yourself and your strength, believe that you have the ability to change anything you wish.

Do you think it’s been easy to not drink my red wine?  This is the lady who had over 50 bottles of wine bought her for Christmas, it’s the one thing I spend more time looking at in Supermarkets than anything else, yet I decided to believe in myself and knew I wouldn’t have a glass until at least 21 days later, it just so happens I’ve realised I would rather feel better than enjoy a glass.

Is that MacDonalds or Chinese takeaway worth not feeling comfortable in your jeans or on the beach this summer in your swimwear?

Is that slab of chocolate worth risking diabetes?  That one’s harder to imagine because we all think we’re indestructible, we believe it won’t happen to us!

Is that butter on your toast worth having high cholesterol?

Go find a mirror – NOW!

Go on and have a good, long look at your reflection then ask yourself honestly, is not focusing on the healthy and happy worth what you’re looking at now?  Are you 100% happy with who you are and how you feel?  I’m not saying don’t love every inch of that person you’re looking at because that’s the most important thing in the world, to love yourself regardless of what’s looking back at you because you are a one off, a perfectness that can never be replicated. 

Okay have you thought, is the perfectness that is you happy with their reflection or would you like to see changes for whatever reason, I’d be happy for your reasons to be health related but I know that for a lot of you it’s a visual thing and that’s okay too as long as the route you take to losing the weight is a healthy route none of this quick fix, unenjoyable malarkey.

21 days – what could you benefit from cutting out or changing for 21 days?  Will you?

8 weeks to Summer, that’s what we’re focusing on this week, setting ourselves our own individual challenge to focus on, I’ve already decided on mine, it’s this;

My 8 week challenge is to not gain and to get into the next stone bracket!

My commitments this week are
- to have fruit & veg with every meal.
-Track everything.
- Ask myself is it worth it.
- Drink water.

My members will be choosing theirs in our meetings, some have already done it in our closed facebook group, I love my meetings – Weight Watchers works because of the group support and I get it from them as much as they get it from me.

Have a great day BeYOUtiful, I’m off to get me another glass of water.

21 days dry!

28^th April 2014

If nothing ever changed – there would be no butterflies!

On the 8^th April I blogged;

“So yesterday I decided to try the 21 days short term habit change, instead of committing to changing forever, I’ve just committed to changing for 21 days, then if that works I may try another 21 days, we shall see.  What habit am I going to work on?  Well which is my worst habit?  Drinking of course, so for 21 days I shall be abstaining from the lovely stuff that is alcohol!  WHY?  Because I heard myself speak these words last week, “If I didn’t drink I wouldn’t have a weight problem, I reckon I’d get back to my goal easily”.”

I did it, day 21 was yesterday, so has it made a difference?  Well firstly since then I’ve lost 2.5lb, not a massive weight loss however I haven’t had a gain in those 3 weeks, that’s the first time I’ve done that this year!

I knew that I wouldn’t change a habit in 21 days, what I did believe was that in 21 days I’d get to look back at whether that change had made a difference to how I was feeling. 

Has it?

Yes, I have to admit it has…

How?

Okay firstly I’ve developed a bit of a sweet tooth!  That’s not so great but something that is calming down and can be sorted I’m sure.

The good stuff is no discomfort from heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux.  I’ve realised I can sit and relax without the assistance of a glass of wine to chill me out, my sleep I think has been better too, haven’t woke up with sweats or bad dreams this month.  Oh I’ve saved about £60, although I’ve more than spent that on things to keep me occupied because I’ve had more time to ‘do stuff’ on my hands, instead of sitting round tired all weekend I’ve had more energy to get in the garden, sort my living room, do a charity day.  Don’t get me wrong I’ve still had days where I’ve done nothing all day, I need them, it’s called being 44 and working a 44 hour week most weeks, over 50 last week, when I work those hours, I need down time, however I don’t need wine to relax in those down times – I can actually chill with tea!

Oh I missed out the most obvious change and the main reason I did this 21 day thing – MY MOODS!  I haven’t wanted to kill anyone this month, the only tears I shed have been good ones, yes my mood is much lighter and I feel like the old me again, not that hormonal crazy cow I’ve been feeling like the last few months.  I have to admit that yes I might be heading towards menopause and my hormones do affect my mood but adding alcohol to the equation, even just a glass a night wasn’t helping the situation at all!

Will I be partaking in a glass of the red stuff this evening?  Nope, I want to do the full month to see if my monthly cycle is affected, to be honest I don’t even want a glass, I haven’t thought about it at all for the last week, the first couple of weekends I was “ooo I could just drink a glass of wine” but now I’m not fussed.  I’m not saying I’ll never drink again but for now it’s just not needed, the benefits of not drinking are far outweighing the benefits of drinking and that was why I started the 21 day thing in the first place because saying I was only giving up for 21 days didn’t scare me so much!

Is there something you’re eating / drinking / doing that’s not really doing you any good?  That you know is bad for your health?  I’m all for the healthy and happy, all about the balance, but if something is affecting how you feel or behave, it’s time to evaluate the situation and make a change BeYOUtiful. xx

What a fantastic day - Zumba & Cake!

27^th April 2014

You don’t need a reason to help people…

This is a pure self indulgent, recording memories blog for me today because yesterday was just fabulous!  Not only were we raising money for charity but we got to have a giggle at the same time, it was fantastic to spend time with some of my awesome members, raise awareness and money for Breast Cancer Care and also recruit a few more members.  I was, particularly happy about the lady who’s decided to join me as she’d just spent £90 on a 10 day detox to lose weight – I can do that for her with real food and a lot less money.

We really did have a fun day, kids LOVE balloons – that’s official!  Captain Jack Sparrow cannot make WW out of balloons without sellotape ;-) and Zumba does look like fun, I have to admit after saying all these years there’s no way I’d do that but yep Paul got me convinced as he shaked his booty outside with Jack Sparrow and friends.  I’ll pop their team’s classes at the end of this blog if you’re up for a fun way to move more.

The morning started before 9, we put up our tables, filled them with cakes and I popped my member success photo boards on display too.  The cakes looked delicious, they really did, I won’t lie I did partake in a few small ones; let’s call them lunch shall we.  Paul helped me unload my  car and he’d made some amazing cakes, I took my mom a slice of the big Victoria sponge he’d made and she let me taste a small bite and oh my it was the best sponge cake I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste, better than those we tried at Hollybush garden centre last week.  I’ve always said I don’t get what people see in sponge cake but having tasted that one, now I do – the boy can bake!

Julie bought along her beautiful iced cake for the guess the weight of the cake raffle, the lady who won it was very pleased when I chatted to her on the phone last night, having started Weight Watchers last week she even asked me the ProPoints in it – 177pp! She’ll be sharing that then ;)

Julie stayed and helped me all day long, then she went above and beyond afterwards by walking round the supermarket with me and being my diet angel stopping me from buying bad stuff and suggesting I put the cheese and onion crisps back on the shelf.  I won’t lie I was that hungry when I shopped last night, had she not been with me, it would have gotten ugly, so a huge thank you to her for EVERYTHING she did yesterday, giving up her Saturday to help me was just awesome and thanks to her, I can get back on track today because my shop was clean!

So many cakes were donated by my wonderful members, I can’t say enough thank yous, and an extra thank you to Rachel and AnnMarie for staying with me to help out and to show people how fantastic Weight Watchers is, how it works.  Rachel has lost 11 stone, AnnMarie 5 stone and Julie 7½ stone, how amazing are these ladies, not just amazing in that respect but every other aspect too, great personalities, fantastic company, BeYOUtiful ladies through and through.  

We did have a giggle, have you ever tried to do charity work, it’s so funny how people try to dodge you.  What was even funnier was I was trying to give away free cookbooks and magazines, so I would say, “would you like a free cookbook my lovely”, and they would automatically say “no thank you” and walk on fast, that response was planned and prepped as soon as they’d spotted me, they weren’t waiting for me to say anything, they had that “NO” ready and waiting.  Why was it funny?  Because you could see what I’d actually said register as they went passed, “oh she said FREE, damn I said no!” and that look of “DAMN! I missed out” washed over their face, some even double backed to try again, but we were having none of that, no, you said no, you snooze you lose ;) we had to get our giggles somewhere.

One amazing old lady came up to the table and started eating one of the cakes, no donation made lol, I asked, “are you enjoy our cake, feel free to make a donation”, she was obviously a little deaf or a lot savvy and playing the ‘old lady’ thing to her advantage because she looked at me and said, “no your ok, I’m already a member, a gold member”.  Bless her heart, I paid for her cake, she made me giggle. 

Poor Paul, all day we were trying to tempt the lad with cake, he was having none of it, he was the only one of my members who resisted all day, he even got me to ProPoint the sandwich he bought for his lunch – on it like a car bonnet, he’s only got 12lbs to get to his holiday weight!  My girls had a little cake but they’ve tracked it, how great are they, no wonder they’re at goal and maintaining.  Awesome Members!

We raised £186.34 selling the Weight Watcher friendly cakes and so far Barbara raised £628 yesterday at her charity day including our contribution and another £1,005 on her justgiving page 

http://www.justgiving.com/barbara-king1  plus she’s now sporting a bald head from her sponsored balding yesterday.  It would be fantastic if she hits a total of £2k, another BeYOUtiful lady doing a wonderful thing.

I spoke to so many people yesterday who have been affected by cancer, it’s such a terrible disease and the treatment is so expensive, so raising this money can only help towards that.

If you’d like to see the photos take on the day, go to https://www.facebook.com/bevww/posts/10152310153970862

 

And have a fabulous Sunday whatever your plans.  Mine will be relaxing, standing all day yesterday has kicked my sciatica back into gear, hey ho it was worth it, maybe I need a bit of that Zumba in my life to get me moving more ;) 

Why not earn some Activity ProPoints at Pauls Zumba Classes
(07792 339 297) £4 a session

Monday 6-7pm
Sneyd Community, Vernon way, Bloxwich, WS3 2PA

Tuesday 6.30-7.30pm & Sunday 10-11pm
Shelfield Academy, Broad Way. WS4 1 BW

Wednesday 6.30-7.30
Landywood Primary School, Holly Lane, Great Wyrley, WS6 6AQ